


No Escape

by kickcows



Series: XVtober 2020 [13]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst and Feels, Gen, Mind Games, Reversed Fate AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:54:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26990980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kickcows/pseuds/kickcows
Summary: Noctis finds himself separated from his friends, stuck in a winter wasteland. He has to find a way to get back to his friends, and winds up going through hell in order to make that happen.
Relationships: Prompto Argentum & Noctis Lucis Caelum
Series: XVtober 2020 [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948429
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	No Escape

**Author's Note:**

> Here’s my next offering for XVtober! :) Since I’ve done different people being blind, I thought it might be fun to try and write Noctis going through what is essentially Ep Prompto. Please enjoy! :) 
> 
> Prompt: Reversed Fate AU

* * *

Noctis was _freezing_. The clothes he’d managed to find in this winter wasteland did little to stop the bitter chill that was all around him. The snow wasn’t an element he was used to being in, and right now, the white wind that whipped around him was slowing his progress to an absolute crawl. He could see a building in front of him, his feet trudging towards it in some last ditch effort to get out of this awful, horrible coldness. 

The last thing he remembered prior to waking up in a ditch full of slush and ice was being on top of the train, heading towards Tenebrae. He’d been fighting with Prompto - _oh Gods_ \- and had wound up falling off the train thanks to the tricks of one Ardyn Izunia. He still couldn’t understand how Ardyn had done what he’d done, and now he was miles away from his friends, having no idea where the hell he was. The only thing he knew was that he was in Niflheim, and had to protect his identity at all costs - they couldn’t know that the Prince of Lucis was here. 

“Please….” He muttered to whatever Astral would listen to him, as he struggled to get his feet to work again. Stuck in the snow, the building was right _there_ , but he couldn’t make it. Falling to the ground, he stared up and could have sworn he saw a pair of pinstripe slacks, but that was probably his mind playing tricks on him again. The world around him went black as he succumbed to the bitter cold, hating that he couldn’t survive without his friends. 

***

“Ah, you’re awake~.” Noctis blinked again, struggling to return to consciousness when he heard a familiar voice that made him instantly wish he was anywhere but where he was. “Now, now, Your Highness. I think that you owe me a thank you for saving your life out there~.” 

Ardyn Izunia stared at him, a smirk on his lips, as Noctis looked around and saw he was sitting on a cot. “You!” He seethed, trying to control his emotions as best as he could, but the urge to use his powers was making his hands itch to attack. “I’m here because of you!” He shouted, looking around the facility they were in. “Why?? Where are we??” 

“All will be explained, as you make your way through this maze~.” Ardyn stood up, bowing his head towards him. “If you survive, then you really are the true King of Lucis.” 

“Do you doubt who I am?” It was always a game with this man, and he was getting tired of it. “You know who I am. You know who my father was. Do not play dumb, Chancellor.” 

“You would do well to learn to keep your mouth quiet.” Ardyn looked over his shoulder. “There are secrets inside of this building - secrets that someone close to you probably would rather you not see. But, that’s neither here nor there, is it~?” He clapped his hands, a lecherous smile appearing on his lips. “You have exactly twenty-four hours to make it through this test, _Your Highness_. If you fail, then I’m afraid the Lucians will be without a King.” 

He stood up fast, but by the time he reached where Ardyn had been standing, he was gone. Noctis punched the wall out of frustration, groaning as his knuckles took the brunt of the hit against the metal wall. He shook his hand out, then looked around him. He could do this - it was a test. He could get out of this building, and find his way back to Tenebrae. Somehow. He _had_ to. There were no other options for him. 

Squaring his shoulders back, he began to walk through the dark corridors, noticing that there were plenty of MT parts that were scattered around. He kept his guard up, afraid that a squad of MTs would sneak up on him. But as he rounded another corner, it was another long hallway. This facility was giving him the creeps. _Ignis - Gladio - Prompto - I hope you all are okay_. He looked up at the ceiling, trying to send his thoughts to his best friends, who he could only imagine were panicking as much as he was right now. Or, maybe the three of them were fine. Maybe they made it to Tenebrae, and were on their way to Gralea to get the Crystal back. 

All Noctis wanted to do was go home. 

A squad of MTs finally appeared, and without thinking, he relied on his Armiger to take him through the motions of combat. His sword clashed with each robot, watching as they dropped to the floor, dead to the world. It felt weird to be seeing them in their home environment - Noctis hoping that his training would stick with him as he applied all that he knew to successfully get through these fights. 

He came to a room that had tanks full of bodies. That made him feel sick, knowing that the Nifls were experimenting with humans in such a way. “I see you’ve made a lot more progress than I thought you would, Your Highness~.” Ardyn’s voice came through a speaker, Noctis’ head snapping to the left to look at the square box on the wall. “Do take your care in this room, and do not - I repeat, do _not_ go taking a closer look at those tanks. You might not like what you find~.” 

Noctis knew that he should not listen to him - Ardyn was baiting him. He _knew_ this, but because his curiosity couldn’t be quelled unless he went and did what Ardyn said not to do, he approached one of the tanks and felt his heart stop in his chest. _No. No no no no no_. “No.” He whispered, his hand laying flat on the glass as he stared at the face that he was very familiar with. “This is a trick.” 

“I assure you, it is no trick~.” Noctis turned to his left and saw Ardyn was now standing next to him, that devious smirk back on his face. “What you see is the truth. _Someone_ hasn’t told you what they really are, have they?” 

Staring at the clone of Prompto Argentum, Noctis shook his head as he felt tears beginning to cloud his eyes. “This can’t be. He’s not evil. He’s not.” 

“Does one necessarily have to be evil if they’re from Niflheim? I would argue that that would not be the case, but what do I know~?” Ardyn shrugged his shoulders as he took a step closer to Noctis, trapping him against the glass. “Look at that face. The face of an angel, yes?” 

“Shut up.” The fight had gone out of him - he couldn’t be bothered to be upset with the man that was doing a good job of psychologically torturing him right now. “This is a trick.” He blinked a few times, hoping to take away the vision of a bald Prompto floating in the tank. “You are doing this, you monster.” 

“Go and check the other tanks. Even _I_ don’t have the capability to deceive your mind in such a way, Your Highness~.” 

Again, he knew that Ardyn was baiting him, and going against his instincts he fell for it again. He walked over to another tank, and there was another clone of Prompto floating there. He walked to the next, and it was the same as the first. “This proves nothing.” 

“Are you sure about that?” A hand touched his shoulder, as he was brought over to a medical table where it seemed there was a clone resting there. “Why not take a look at this one? Perhaps he’ll speak to you, and can become your new best friend?” 

Noctis made his sword appear in his hand and went to stab the area beside him, but all his sword made contact with was air. “Ah, ah, Your Highness~.” Ardyn’s voice now came through the speaker again. “You will not be having your way with me, I’m afraid. You still have quite a ways to go until you reach the end of this journey. Do hurry up, as I’ve got a _busy_ evening.” 

His skin crawled as he listened to Ardyn, the weight of his sword disappearing from his hand. He looked back at the table and saw that the clone was not breathing. _So you made it die to show me who Prompto really is? You sick bastard_. He turned his head and walked out of the room, heading down a long corridor that began to slope down. Noctis _had_ to get out of here, otherwise he would go insane. His friends - his _real_ friends were waiting for him. So what if Prompto was really someone from Niflheim? It didn’t matter to him, because Prompto was his best friend. He grew up in Insomnia, and stayed by his side through all this bullshit. An enemy of his would _never_ do something like that. 

It took a few hours, but he got out of the labyrinth, and then came face to face with the ghost of Verstael. A machine that he’d put his entity inside of, Noctis using a snowspeeder to fight him. It was a grueling battle, but he was victorious because it was the only way he was going to survive. The only thing that kept him fighting was the thought of his friends waiting for him, hopefully staying put in Tenebrae as he figured out a way to get back to them. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would have to fight a giant robot with the conscience of a mad man - never mind the other atrocities he’d faced inside of that facility. 

Back out in the snow, the sun was shining bright, the day looking to be a lot better than it had in a very long while. He slowed his snowspeeder down, and then brought it to a stop. Looking out towards the horizon, he could make out the familiar cliffs of Tenebrae off in the distance. “Almost there…” He whispered, hoping that there was enough gas in the snowspeeder that he could make his way to Tenebrae on it. Or at least get him close enough that walking the last bit wouldn’t totally annihilate him. 

“Congratulations on escaping and putting an end to that monster, Your Highness.” Noctis turned and saw Ardyn standing beside him. His eyes widened as he tried to speak, but then was hit on the back of his neck, the world going black as he heard Ardyn speak again. “Time to go to sleep, Noctis~.” 

He did as he was told, and fell fast asleep with a pained expression on his face. 

***

A slap to his face woke him up sometime later, a groan falling from his mouth as he felt his head lollying to the side. “Time to wake up, Your Highness~.” He groaned again as that voice that had been following him the last few days was tickling his ear. “I said, wake _up_.” 

Another slap to his face caused him to become dazed, his eyes refusing to focus as he tasted blood on his tongue. “Awake…” Noctis spit some of the blood out of his mouth, and tried to lift his head but found that it felt heavier than it should. It was at that moment he noticed that he couldn’t move his arms or legs either, his body strung up in a T-pose position. _A crucifix_. 

“Good. Your friends will be here soon, and I would hate for you to be asleep when they find you.” A quick pat to his cheek had him wincing again. “It won’t be long now, Noctis.” 

“Why do you care?” His voice was thick with the pain that was coursing through his body. Whatever Ardyn had done to him after leaving the facility, and bringing him here, it had done a number on him. “We’re going to win. We’re going to take the Crystal, and you won’t be able to have your way anymore.” 

“That’s what I’m _hoping_.” His chin was grabbed roughly, Noctis staring into Ardyn’s eyes, black miasma now dripping from both of his eye sockets, the normal color of his eyes gone and replaced by yellow and black. “You have _no idea_ what I’ve suffered through until now. It’s time you learned a little pain yourself, _Your Highness_ ~.” His voice grated every single nerve in Noctis’ body, but he couldn’t do anything about it.

He was forced to stare at him, the hand on his chin holding him firmly in place. “You will die. We will win this together. You will _never_ get what you want.” 

“Maybe I _want_ to die.” Ardyn hissed at him, gripping his chin a little more firmly before dropping his hand. Noctis coughed, his head hanging low as he could feel the strain in his arms. An alarm began to go off, his spirits rising temporarily as he saw Ardyn narrow his eyes, the miasma gone, his face looking normal. “Ah, there they are~.” 

Noctis wanted to shout, but then he was hit again, a broken sob leaving his throat instead. “F-Fuck you…” He muttered, praying to the Astrals that his friends would get here soon. 

“No, I don’t think that will happen. Sorry to burst your bubble, Noctis.” Ardyn laughed, the sound making a chill race up his spine. “Take care of yourself, _Your Highness_ ~. Don’t let that precious Crystal out of your sight.” Ardyn gave a wave of his hand, and then disappeared from the room he was trapped in. 

He strained his ears, trying to listen for any sound that might mean his friends were close. He heard someone running, and then the person he’d last seen laying on a medical table was standing front of him. “Noct!” Prompto exclaimed, worry laced in his voice. “Guys!! I found him! He’s in here!! Oh Gods, Noct….” 

“P-Prompto…” Prompto got his arms free, and he fell forward, holding onto him as he hugged his best friend tight. “I’m so sorry…” 

“Not as sorry as I am.” He could hear Prompto crying, his own eyes leaking as he felt Prompto drop to his knees, and was taking care of the restraints around his feet. He fell to his knees, but before he could hit the ground, he was embraced by Prompto, his arms holding onto him tight. “Gods, Noct…” 

“Is he alright?” He looked up and saw Gladio standing at the door with Ignis beside him. “Noct!” 

“I’m...okay…” Noctis rested his head against Prompto’s shoulder, not at all ready to stand up on his two feet. “It’s been….a time.” He gave his friends a weak smile, but then closed his eyes and groaned softly. 

“Iggy!” 

“Here, Prompto.” 

Something cracked above him, and then he felt the healing properties of an Elixir spreading throughout his entire body. It took away all the aches and pains he’d picked up since being stuck out in the snow, suddenly feeling more normal than he had before he’d fallen off the train. He turned to Prompto, and grabbed his arm. “You have something to tell us, don’t you?” 

Prompto blushed, and looked down at his arms. “H-How…?” 

“Let’s just say that I had the unfortunate experience of having to fight Verstael.” 

“No shit?” Gladio asked, as he was hoisted up off the floor, having both Prompto and Gladio support his weight. “How’d that go?” 

“I’m here, aren’t I?” He looked up at his Shield, and saw a pleased look on his face. That was a look that had helped him get through those awful fights. “Prompto - do the others know?” 

“Know what?” Ignis asked, as the four of them made their way out of the room, and headed towards the center of the facility, where Noctis had a feeling they were going to find the Crystal. “Prompto - has something happened?” 

The conversation came to a halt as they arrived at the elevator, but couldn’t open it. Noctis turned to Prompto, and saw him look away. “Prompto.” 

“I’m sorry.” His best friend whispered, as he pushed the leather bracelet he always wore on his right wrist up, exposing a barcode that was scanned. The elevator opened, and he heard Gladio gasp. “I didn’t….I didn’t mean….” 

Noctis stepped forward, and put his arms around him. “You didn’t have to keep this secret from us.” 

“What is happening, Gladio?” Ignis asked. 

He held Prompto in a tight embrace, and felt him return the hug with an equal amount of force. “You shouldn’t have fallen off the train. It should have been me!” Prompto cried against his neck, as they clung to each other. “I swear, I never meant any of this to happen, Noctis!” 

“I know.” His own voice was thick with emotion, as he kept hugging Prompto. “You’re a good person. I don’t care where you’re from - you are, and always will be, a Lucian.” 

“Your Highness…” Prompto sobbed. 

They stayed hugging one another for a good long five minutes, Noctis refusing to let go of him. “You might have been born here, but you are _not_ from here.” He looked at Prompto, then looked at his two retainers. “We’re going to get the Crystal. This ends today.” 

“Yes, Your Majesty.” 

It was the first time that any of his friends had addressed him as the King, and it felt strange, but it also felt _right_. He squared his shoulders back, and walked into the elevator. “Let’s go reclaim what is ours.” 

Noctis knew that it wasn’t going to be an easy feat, but now that he was reunited with his friends, nothing was going to stop them. They were an unstoppable force, and Ardyn was going to find out soon that while his games might have been effective in some way, the strength of their bonds outweighed anything else. 

It was time to put an end to this madness. 


End file.
